Lead pencil



Patented Feb. 12, 1924.

ED STATES PATENT oFF'lcE.

CLARENCE 0. GRONBERGl 0F ELGIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD T0 ALBERT M. PRICE, 0F ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

LEAD PENCIL.

Application led February 25, 1922. Serial No. 539,153.

To all whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLARENCE O. GRON- BERG, la citizen of the United States, residing at Elgin, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lead Pencils, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates to lead pencils of the so-called magazine type wherein a chamber, or recess, is provided in the body of the encil for the storing of the leads to be use in the pencil.

M primary objects are to provide a nove, simple and inexpensive construction of pencil of the type referred to whereby the leads, as they are required to replace those worn away in the use of the pencil, may be readily and quickly removed from the magazine one at a time and positioned for use; and the magazine may be quickly and easily charged with leads.

Referring to the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in vertical sectional elevation of the lower end of a lead pencil embodying my improvements. Figure 2 is a similar view of the upper end of the pencil; and Figures 3 and 4, sections taken at the lines 3 and 4 on Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

The pencil shown comprises a barrel, or shell, section 5 open at both ends, and a tip portion 6 screwed at its upper end into the lower end of the barrel. The tip section 6 contains a bore 7 extending entirely therethrough lengthwise of this section and shown as located coincident with the axis of the barrel and in which the lead, represented at 8, a portion of the latter between its ends being broken away in Fig. 1, is located when positioned for use. The tip ortion 6 contains a bore shown as extending parallel with the bore 7 and opening at its inner end, which is flared upwardly as shown at 10, into the interior of the barrel 5, the bore 9 forming the outlet passage through which the leads located in the magazine portion, hereinafter referred to, are discharged for manual insertion -into the bore 7. A cross-passage 11 connects the bores 7 and 9, and in this passage a movable -member 12 shown as, and preferably,

a ball, is located for a purpose hereinafter explained. The extremity of the tip portion 6 is shown as slit lengthwise to provide a tongue 13 having a protuberance 14 which yieldinglf presses against the side of the lead 8 an prevents it from dropping out of the bore 7. The barrel 5 contains a tube 15 extending lengthwise thereof and coincident with the axis of the barrel, the lower end of this tube being secured in the upper end of the tip portion 6 as represented, with the opening afforded by the tube in line with the bore 7, as shown, the upper end of this tube carrying a disk 16 located in the barrel 5 and extending transversely thereof. The disk 16 forms, with the tip section 6 and the barrel 5, a chamber 17 constituting a magazine for reserve leads and into whic the bore 9 opens at its flaring portion 10.

The pencil shown also comprises leadfeeding means which in the particular construction shown are disposed concentrically of the bore 7, these means comprising a rod 18 which is slidable in the tube 15 and operates when forced in a direction toward the outlet end of the pencil, to feed the lead through the bore 7. The upper end of the rod 18 is provided with a head 19 having screw threads which engagel with threads represented at 20 provided on the inner surface of the barrel 5 at the upper end of the latter whereby rotation of the head 19 in clockwise direction in Fig. 3 operates to force this head together with the rod 18 toward the outlet end of the pencil and the rod against the adjacent end of the lead for feeding the lead as stated. The head 19 is shown as having sliding fit in a groove 21, extending lengthwise of the barrel 5', in a member 22 located within the barrel and manually rotatable therein, but preferably frictionally engaging` the inner surface of the barrel to a slight degree, as is common in pencils involving feed means of this general type, and for the usual purpose, the member 22 being preferably formed with parallel bar-like portions 23 extendin lengthwise of the barrel and between whic the groove 21 is presented, and the upper and lower cylindrical portions 24 and 25 connected with the upper and lower ends of these bars, the portion 24 endwise abutting the upper end of the barrel 5. The upper end of the portion 24 is shown as containing an upwardly-opening socket 26 containing a block 27 of rubber forming an eraser portion, and a cap 28 removably surrounding the portion 24 is provided to coverthe eraser portion 27 and present the desired ornamental and finished appearance to this end of the pencil.

Erom the foregoing it will be understood that by rotating the member 22, by the operator grasping and turning the portion 24 thereof, the rod 18 will be moved 1n the tube 15 toward or away from the outlet end of the pencil, depending upon the d1- rection in which the member 22 is rotated.

The reserve leads (not shown) are charged one by one into the magazine 17 through the outer end of the bore 9 when no lead in the bore 7, nor the rod 18, extends opposite the ball 12, this ball being so proportioned that when a lead 8 is in the bore 7 and extends across the passage 11, the ball will occupy a position in which it obstructs passage of leads through the bore 9 as shown in Fig. 1, but when neither a lead 8 nor the rod 18 extends across the passage 11, the ball ma roll to a position in which it does not o struct the passage of the leads through the bore 9.

When the lead-feeding means have been operated to the extreme limit of the leadfeeding operation, the operator retracts the rod 18 from the bore 7 by rotating the member 22 in counter-clockwise direction in Fig. 3, thereby permitting the ball 12 to move out of a position obstructing the bore 9 and permitting of the discharge from the magazine 17 of one of the leads therein, through the bore 9. The lead removed from the magazine 17 is then introduced into the bore 7 through its outer end to position 1t for writing, the ball 12 thereby beco m1ng forced into the position shown in Fig. 1, wherein its obstructs passage of the leads through the bore 9.

The provision of the flaring portion 10 of the bore 9 is of advantage as 'thereby the leads are guided singly into the outlet 9 for discharge therethrough.

Inv the particular arrangement shown the passage 11 is provided by boring the tipportion 6 in a direction transversely of its length, an'd thereafter inserting a plug 29 into the outer end of the opening thus provided, to close the same, the inner end of the plug being partially out away as shown to constitute a portion of thebore 7.

The cross-passage 11 referably inclines toward the extremity ofp the tip from the bore 9 to the bore 7, whereby when neither a lead, nor the rod 18, extends into the bore 7 at a point opposite the ball 12, the latter, when the point of the pencil is pointed downwardly, will roll down to a position in which it does not obstruct the discharge.

of leads from the magazine 17 through the bore 9. If the magazine 417 is loaded with leads, when the point of the pencil is upper- 1. A lead pencil comprising a body portion containing a bore in which the lead, when positioned for use, extends, and a magazine for leads having an outlet for discharge therethrough of the leads, and means controlled by a lead in said bore controlling the passage of leads through said outlet.'

2. A lead pencil comprising a body portion containing a bore in which the lead, when positioned for use, extends, a magazine for leads having an outlet for discharge therethrough of the leads, and a movable member cooperating with a lead in said bore and with saidoutlet, the parts being so constructed and arranged that when a lead is in said bore and opposite said member, said member obstructs discharge of a lead from said magazine, and when said member is free to enter said bore, said member is movable to a position in which a lead may discharge from said magazine.

3. A lead pencil comprising a body portion containing a bore in which the lead, when positioned for use, extends, a magazine for leads from which a bore, forming an outlet for the magazine, leads, a crosspassage connecting said bores, and a mem ber located, and movable in, said crosspassage for controlling the discharge of leads from said magazine.

4. A lead pencil comprising a body portion containing a bore in which the lead, when positioned .for use, extends, a magazine for leads from which a bore, forming an outlet for the magazine, leads, a crosspassage connecting said bores, and a member located, and movable in, said cross-passage for controlling the discharge of leads from said magazine, saidcross-passage inclining forwardly from said second-referred-to bore toward said first-referred-to bore.

5. A lead pencil comprising a body containing a bore in which the lead, when positioned for use, extends, a magazine for leads having an outlet for discharge therethrough of the leads, lead-feeding mechanism comprising a member movable in said bore and against the lead therein, and means controlled by the lead in said bore and said member, for controlling the passage of leads through said outlet.

6. AA lead pencil comprising a body portion containing a bore in which the lead,

when positioned for use, extends, a magazine for leads having an outlet for discharge therethrough of the leads, lead-feeding mechanism comprising a member movable in said bore and against the lead therein, a movable member cooperating with the lead and said irst-referred-to member in said bore and with said outlet,- the parts being so constructed and arranged thatwhen either a lead or said first-named member is in said bore and opposes said second-named member, said second-named member obstructs discharge of a lead from said magazine, and when neither said lead nor vsaid lrst-named member opposes said second-named member, the latter is movable to a position in which a lead ma discharge from said magazine.

7. A ead pencil comprising a body poi'- tion containing a bore in which the lead, when positioned for use, extends, a magazine for leads from which a bore, forming an outlet for tlie magazine, leads,a crosspassage connecting said bores, and a ball located, and movable in, said cross-passage for controlling the discharge of leads from said magazine.

CLARENCE 0. GRONBERG. 

